Overview

In an era of deepening polarization, Sari Hanafi examines how social scientists often reproduce the very injustices they seek to challenge, taking entrenched positions while dismissing alternative perspectives. He introduces the concept of symbolic liberalism - a contradiction in which individuals espouse classical liberal principles, yet act in politically illiberal ways. This, he argues, has exacerbated the pathologies of late modernity: authoritarianism, economic precarity, and environmental destruction, now all unfolding in a climate where reasonable debate seems increasingly impossible. Examining key flashpoints of contemporary polarization, Hanafi critiques how symbolic liberalism inflates the universality of rights while simultaneously narrowing the space for dialogue. Rather than this rigid ideological stance, he calls for a dialogical turn, a renewed public sphere where diverse conceptions of the ‘common good’ engage in genuine conversation. Blending political and moral philosophy with sociological critique, Hanafi offers a path forward in an age when intellectual exchange is more necessary, yet also more imperilled, than ever. Against Symbolic Liberalism is not just a critique of polarization but a critical and impassioned call to reclaim meaningful intellectual discourse.

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9781836244677

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Reviews

Sari Hanafi’s book offers an original analysis and critique of Western sociology, as well as a diagnosis and therapy for polarised societies. The book resembles its author. It is both powerful and generous, global and local, critical and dialogical. The analysis comes straight from Beirut, but will appeal to a larger audience interested in the prospects of sociological theory, post-colonialism, political liberalism and democratic alternatives. - Frédéric Vandenberghe, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Hanafi’s brilliant presentation of his Dialogical Political Liberal Project offers a relevant account of how dialogic sociology is the most lucid tool that we have today to provide eloquent analysis and accomplished solutions. Building on a sound theoretical review of liberalism, he has delved into the study of challenging realities in different contexts to resume demonstrating how the sociology that places dialogue at the core of its analyses is able to engage diversity and offer transformative possibilities. Hanafi’s dialogical proposal is an invitation to orient sociology towards improving the lives of citizens, recovering the original purpose for which it was created. - Marta Soler, University of Barcelona and Vice-president for Publications, International Sociological Association In this powerful and timely book, Sari Hanafi takes on one of liberalism’s deepest flaws: the gap between lofty ideals and concrete realities, between the universal and the particular, theory and praxis. With clarity and conviction, he calls for a radical, self-reflective renewal of liberalism—one that resists the drift toward cynicism and authoritarian compromise. Rejecting tired dichotomies between fact and norm, Hanafi urges an interdisciplinary and dialogical approach rooted in the complexities of our time. This is a bold, rigorous, and essential contribution to the urgent task of aligning liberal values with democratic action. - Mounir Kchaou, Université de Tunis While the world burns and crumbles, and sociology risks becoming self-referential or dissolving into a soulless technocracy, Sari Hanafi breaks through by opening a broad and generative horizon. With thoughtful passion and insight, this book commits to renewing Michael Burawoy’s call for a public sociology that is both critical and committed. Grounded in an approach that engages with plural epistemologies, marginalized communities, and social conflict, Hanafi redefines knowledge as a dialogic practice where one can be truly “traversed by the other.” - Silvia Cataldi, Sapienza University of Rome In a time of deep polarization and rising authoritarianism, this book reminds us that sociology must engage with civil society. In his book, Hanafi offers a rigorous critique of symbolic liberalism. Many who speak in the name of human rights or progress end up reproducing exclusion through identity-based dogmas or elitist universalism. What Hanafi proposes instead is a dialogical sociology that listens, argues, and transforms—not from above, but from within. It is a sociology that reclaims its public mission and its capacity to build agreements across real differences. - Ramón Flecha, University of Barcelona In this pioneering project, Sari Hanafi employs a breadth of global knowledge to show that illiberal political culture has its genesis not only in forces that claim it, but also in those that claim to be its opponents. Here we learn that the genealogy of what Hanafi calls “symbolic liberalism”--a mixture of classical liberalism and political illiberalism—includes certain style of enunciating emancipatory claims that have led to current repressive realities. Anyone who wishes to see a way out of this impasse will find a compelling guide in this powerful book, whose intellectual range helps us all, north and south, understand how the road to illiberalism is paved with liberal intentions. - Mohammed Bamyeh, Einstein Fellow, Berlin Graduate School of Muslim Cultures & Societies

Author Information

Sari Hanafi is a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut. He served as President of the International Sociological Association (2018–23) and Vice President of the Arab Council for Social Sciences (2015–16). An International Fellow of the British Academy, he was also the Editor of Idafat: The Arab Journal of Sociology (2007–22). His contributions to the field have been recognized with some of the Arab world’s most prestigious academic awards, including the Abdelhamid Shouman Award (2014) and the Kuwait Award for Social Science (2015). In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of San Marcos, Peru.

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